North Korea state media warns of nuclear strike if provoked as U.S. warships approach

April 11, 2017

North Korean state media on Tuesday warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of U.S. aggression as a U.S. Navy strike group steamed towards the western Pacific.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has urged China to do more to rein in its impoverished neighbour, said in a Tweet North Korea was “looking for trouble” and the United States would “solve the problem” with or without China’s help.

Tension has escalated sharply on the Korean peninsula with talk of military action by the United States gaining traction following its strikes last week against Syria and amid concerns the reclusive North may soon conduct a sixth nuclear test.

North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the country was prepared to respond to any aggression by the United States.

“Our revolutionary strong army is keenly watching every move by enemy elements with our nuclear sight focused on the U.S. invasionary bases not only in South Korea and the Pacific operation theatre but also in the U.S. mainland,” it said. …

Trump said in a Tweet a trade deal between China and the United States would be “far better for them if they solved the North Korea problem”.

Today, Donald Trump sent the following from his Twitter account: North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.

As I mentioned last week, Donald Trump, in my view, decided to send a message to many around the world in general and Syria, North Korea (Korea in Prophecy, Any Witness?) and Iran (Iran in Prophecy) in particular with his attack in Syria that he may not take time to negotiate, before taking military action. North Korea has been upset by this and has upped its rhetoric.

North Korea, in my view, will NOT continue as it has been.

It has severe economic problems and leadership issues.

Furthermore, it, in my view, will one day reunify (at least to a degree, if not totally) with South Korea.

President Donald Trump’s deployment of an aircraft carrier to the waters off the Korean Peninsula has raised tensions across East Asia. But the show of US force conceals a lack of better options for dealing with the provocations of the rogue government in North Korea. …

Flexing America’s military muscle alone is not likely to deter North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un from testing nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles. Former President Barack Obama ordered the aircraft carrier USS George Washington into the Yellow Sea twice to intimidate Kim’s father Kim Jong Il, without persuading him to change his behaviour.

“This is déjà vu all over again,” said Jeffrey A. Bader, who advised Obama on China. “They’ve signalled a new approach, but they’re discovering that the new approaches are not particularly attractive.”

The White House is likely to pursue secondary sanctions, which target Chinese firms and banks that help North Korea earn foreign currency and finance its weapons programmes. …

US MILITARY OPTION

In recent weeks, Trump’s aides warned that they were not ruling out “military options”. Over the weekend, Tillerson said the US strike against Syria was a signal to other countries that “a response is likely to be undertaken” if they pose a danger.

Analysts and officials in South Korea fear that a pre-emptive military attack against North Korea – even one limited to taking out nuclear and missile bases – could set off a catastrophic retaliation and a full-scale war. Seoul lies within range of North Korean artillery and rockets amassed along the border.

Military planners in the Pentagon share those fears. “While the military is very focused on maintaining a strong deterrence posture on the peninsula, it is acutely aware of the dangers of escalation,” said Derek Chollet, a former assistant defense secretary for international security affairs.

The risk of escalation in Syria was lower, Chollet said, because Assad is weaker than Kim and there was less concern about Syria’s stockpile of weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands.

The situation with North Korea is getting difficult. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump are both considered to be unpredictable. Notice also:

April 11, 2017

Some US analysts argue that Trump’s unpredictability could give him leverage with the Chinese. Michael J. Green, an Asia adviser to President George W. Bush, recalled negotiating with China and North Korea when Bush began his invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Chinese noticeably shifted their tone, he said, and put more pressure on the North Koreans.

“Everybody prices in North Korean unpredictability,” said Victor D. Cha, who also worked on Asia during the Bush administration. “Most of the other players price in US predictability and reliability. The only time I’ve ever seen the Chinese worried is when they’re not sure what the US is going to do.”

Speaking about the possibility of eliminating Kim, US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who also served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said, “decapitation is always a tempting strategy when you’re faced with a highly unpredictable and highly dangerous leader.

“The question you have to ask yourself is what happens the day after you decapitate? I think that in North Korea, it’s an enormous unknown.”

The USA wants to eliminate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and he seems willing to risk his nation against the USA.

Donald Trump must be looking at various options.

Because of prophecies involving “the kings from the east” cooperating at the end (cf. Revelation 16:12; Daniel 11:44: “news from the east and the north shall trouble him”), we in the Continuing Church of God have long felt that somehow North and South Korea would likely be unified (or at least work more closely together) prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Notice something from Bible News Prophecy magazine, the July-September 2013 edition:

Perhaps I should add that because of prophecies involving “the kings from the east” cooperating at the end (cf. Revelation 16:12; Daniel 11:44), I have long felt that somehow North and South Korea would likely be unified (or at least work more closely together) prior to the return of Jesus Christ. The literal translation of Revelation 16:12 is “the kings of the sunrise” and thus this would seem to have to include Korea—which is amongst the most eastern of the nations.

But it could take a battle or more for that to happen. One that may not turn out well for the North Korean leadership.

Yet, caution is advised for any who think that since the USA can defeat North Korea militarily that North Korea would not try to set off a nuclear device (either through a launch or through some other means) that could hurt South Korea or the USA. Jesus spoke of a time of troubles prior to the Great Tribulation (Mark 13:7-8) and North Korea may well fit in with those.

13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. (Revelation 9:13-18)

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. (Revelation 16:12)

The literal translation of Revelation 16:12 is “the kings of the sunrise” and thus this would seem to have to include Korea–which is among the most eastern of the nations.

It could take a battle or more for that type of unity to happen. One that may not turn out well for the North Korean leadership.

While the USA can defeat North Korea militarily, understand that North Korea could try to set off a nuclear device (either through a launch or through some other means, including covert terroristic ones) that could hurt South Korea or the USA.

Jesus spoke of a time of troubles prior to the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:4-8) and North Korea may well fit in with those. Our latest video, which we put up Sunday, related to this is titled: Syria, North Korea, and Prophecy.